Can't transmit standard serializable object across WCF - wcf

Question

I have created a very simple server and client console app demonstrating the issue I have in that I am trying to bring an instance of a serializable object across to the client but it fails on the server.
What am I missing?? I am NOT concerned right now having it Service orientated using DataContracts - I am simply trying to understand why the code as it stands doesn't bring the EJob accross to the client (it DOES however calls the 'Hello from the server' message)
Many thanks.
EDIT
Even if I decorate the EJob class with a DataContract attribute (like below) it STILL doesn't work - the object I receive on the client has LastName set to null?????
[DataContract]
public class EJob
{
[DataMember]
public string LastName = "Smith";
}
SERVER
namespace testServer
{
[ServiceContract()]
public interface IRemoteClient
{
[OperationContract]
void SayHi(string msg);
[OperationContract]
void ProcessJob(EJob job);
}
[Serializable()]
public class EJob
{
public string LastName = "Smith";
}
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
MngrServer.SendJob();
}
}
public class MngrServer
{
public static void SendJob()
{
try
{
// send this off to the correct exe
NetTcpBinding binding = new NetTcpBinding(SecurityMode.None, true);
string address = string.Format("net.tcp://localhost:33888/BatchMananger/client");
EndpointAddress epa = new EndpointAddress(address);
// create the proxy pointing to the correct exe
IRemoteClient clientProxy = ChannelFactory<IRemoteClient>.CreateChannel(binding, epa);
clientProxy.SayHi("Hello from server"); <-- THIS WORKS FINE
EJob job = new EJob { LastName = "Janssen" };
clientProxy.ProcessJob(job); <-- THIS RAISES AN EXCEPTION see below...
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
string msg = ex.Message;
//The formatter threw an exception while trying to deserialize the message: There was an error while
//trying to deserialize parameter http://tempuri.org/:job. The InnerException message was ''EndElement' 'job'
//from namespace 'http://tempuri.org/' is not expected. Expecting element 'LastName'.'.
}
}
}
}
CLIENT
namespace testClient
{
[ServiceContract()]
public interface IRemoteClient
{
[OperationContract]
void SayHi(string msg);
[OperationContract]
void ProcessJob(EJob job);
}
[Serializable()]
public class EJob
{
public string LastName = "Smith";
}
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
MngrClient.Prepare();
Console.ReadLine();
}
}
/// <summary>
/// STATIC / INSTANCE
/// </summary>
public class MngrClient : IRemoteClient
{
public void SayHi(string msg)
{
Console.WriteLine(msg);
}
public void ProcessJob(EJob job)
{
Console.WriteLine(job.LastName);
}
public static void Prepare()
{
// allow this class to be used! - so instances are created and info directly passed on to its static members.
ServiceHost sh = new ServiceHost(typeof(MngrClient));
// create the net binding
NetTcpBinding binding = new NetTcpBinding(SecurityMode.None, true);
// define the tcpaddress
string address = string.Format("net.tcp://localhost:33888/BatchMananger/client");
// add a service point so my server can reach me
sh.AddServiceEndpoint(typeof(IRemoteClient), binding, address);
// now open the service for business
sh.Open();
}
}
}

Answer 1

Your EJob datacontract is in a different namespace on the server vs. the client. You need to either declare both classes in the same namespace, or use attributes to set the namespace on the client to match the namespace on the server
(Either the Datacontract attribute has a namespace value that you can pass, or there is a separate namespace attribute that you can use to tell WCF to use an alternate namespace for the contract, can't remember off the top of my head)
EDIT
Just verified -- it's the Namespace property of the DataContractAttribute that you want, so in your client-side declaration:
[DataContract(Namespace="EJobNamespaceAsItIsDeclaredOnTheServer")]
public class EJob ...
Now, it is very common to put all of your DataContracts in a separate assembly (called a contract assembly) that is referenced by both the client and the server. You would want just the contract class definitions in that assembly, nothing else.

Answer 2

You somehow have it all a bit backwards...
given your service contract of IRemoteClient, you should then have an implementation class on the server-side that implements that interface:
public class ServiceImplementation : IRemoteClient
{
public void SayHi(string msg)
{
.....
}
public void ProcessJob(EJob job)
{
.....
}
}
Also: the service methods should be returning something to the caller! Without a return type, you're kinda creating a black-hole of a service - you can call its methods, but nothing gets returned.... Plus: the service implementation class should NOT be hosting itself! Make that a separate class
you should then have a host class on the server side that hosts this service:
public class HostForYourService
{
public HostForYourService()
{
// send this off to the correct exe
NetTcpBinding binding = new NetTcpBinding(SecurityMode.None, true);
string address = string.Format("net.tcp://localhost:33888/BatchMananger/client");
EndpointAddress epa = new EndpointAddress(address);
ServiceHost sh = new ServiceHost(typeof(ServiceImplementation));
// define the tcpaddress
sh.AddServiceEndpoint(typeof(IRemoteClient), binding, address);
// now open the service for business
sh.Open();
}
and then your client should build the client-side proxy for this service and call it
public class YourServiceClient
{
public void CallService()
{
NetTcpBinding binding = new NetTcpBinding(SecurityMode.None, true);
string address = string.Format("net.tcp://servername:33888/BatchMananger/client");
EndpointAddress epa = new EndpointAddress(address);
// create the proxy pointing to the correct exe
IRemoteClient clientProxy = ChannelFactory<IRemoteClient>.CreateChannel(binding, epa);
clientProxy.SayHi("Hello from server"); <-- THIS WORKS FINE
EJob job = new EJob { LastName = "Janssen" };
clientProxy.ProcessJob(job);
}
}
But again: typically, your service methods should be returning something that the client can then operate on - after all, you typically don't want to do a Console.WriteLine on the server - you want to compute something, look up something etc. and return a response to the client which then in turns can e.g. output the result to the console or something....